From Galewela on the Moragolla road. 6 km. We enter the ancient village of Nilagama. Nilagama village is famous for a great generation of painters of the Kandyan kingdom. The Nilagama painter generation, who painted paintings in many temples such as Dambulla Viharaya and Ridi Viharaya, lives in Nilagama. Due to the Buddhist revival that occurred during the reign of King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe (1747-1782), many new temples have been established.

The paintings and sculptures of the Nilagama Nilgiri Cave Temple are also the creations of the Nilagama generation. There is one cave in the Nilagama temple, which has several caves, as a statue house. It is believed that this temple was founded during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa.

The cave temple is filled with statues and paintings of the Kandyan tradition. In addition, there is a dagabo and a Bodhi tree as sacred monuments. There are eight inscriptions carved under the vats of the Nilagama caves. Professor Paranavithana has identified five of them as early Brahmi (3-1 BC) inscriptions and three as late Brahmi (1-2 AD). These mention that the vats were carved and prepared for the monks and offered to them. The inscriptions mention Abhaya and Rula, the chief Tissa, Sumanagutta, Pramudhu Dutika Tissa, the son of Pramudhu Tissa, Pramudhu Shunakatha, and the daughter of the village headman Dhamma and the devotee Uttara as the donors who made such offerings to the caves.

The ancient name of the Nilgiri Rajamaha Viharaya, which is said to belong to the Walagamba era, is Thissaramaya. At that time, King Devanapatis built a dagoba on the high peaks of the mountains and performed a light and light puja to please his heart. This place was also a place he founded. Later, it is mentioned in the inscriptions that King Buddhadasa Dala Mogalan Abhaya carved Katharams in the caves and named it Thissaramaya.